Foldable box member configured to hold a support

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a foldable box member that can be used to create an enclosure and/or box that is configured to hold a set of supports. The foldable box member includes a set of elements that are each capable of being configured to accept a support. Additionally, a flap located opposite of each element can be configured to accept an opposing end of the support. As a result, the resulting enclosure can hold each support in a desired location and configuration.

REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION

The current application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/487,352, filed on Jul. 15, 2003, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The invention relates generally to enclosures, and more specifically, to a foldable box member that includes a structure for holding a support.

2. Related Art

Boxes are used in many applications. For some of these applications, each box can be used for transporting cargo that has a substantial amount of weight (e.g., vegetables). Further, in transit, multiple boxes are often stacked on one another. In this case, due to the weight of the cargo in each box, a lower box may collapse under the total weight. As a result, one or more vertical supports can be added to the lower box(es) in order to add strength.

One common approach to adding strength to a box is to insert spiral wound tubes into the box as vertical supports. The tubes are generally inserted at the corners. Current configurations require glue, tape, or the like to keep each support in place. For example, a current design in common use is a three-part laminated box that has corners formed from the innermost liner. Unfortunately, such a box design cannot be manufactured efficiently or safely, because it requires a manual glue application on the interior of the box.

As a result, a need exists for an improved box configuration that provides a foldable box member that includes a structure for holding one or more supports.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems, as well as others, by providing a foldable box member that includes means for holding one or more supports without requiring the use of clamps, glue, tape, and the like. In particular, the foldable box member can comprise one or more elements, each of which can be configured to accept a support. In one embodiment, a portion of one or more top flaps for a box is used to form each element adjacent to a top corner of the box. Further, one or more bottom flaps of the box can be configured to accept an end of the support below an element to further assist in preventing the support from slipping. As a result, the invention provides an improved enclosure configuration for holding one or more supports.

A first aspect of the invention provides a foldable box member comprising: a main member comprising a plurality of creases that define a plurality of sides; and a first element attached to the main member, wherein the first element is configured to accept a support.

A second aspect of the invention provides a foldable box member comprising: a main member comprising a plurality of creases that define a plurality of sides; a first flap attached to the main member adjacent to one of the plurality of sides; a pair of elements attached to the main member adjacent to the first flap, wherein each element is configured to accept a support; and a second flap attached to the main member at an opposing position from the first flap and adjacent to the one of the plurality of sides.

A third aspect of the invention provides a foldable box member comprising: a main member comprising a first plurality of creases that define a plurality of sides; a second plurality of creases that define, for each of the plurality of sides: a first flap adjacent to the side; and a second flap adjacent to an opposing position of the side; and at least one crease that defines at least one element configured to accept a support.

A fourth aspect of the invention provides a method of creating an enclosure, the method comprising: folding a main member along each of a first plurality of creases to create a plurality of sides for the enclosure; affixing a first side on a first end of the main member to a second side on an opposing second end of the main member; and folding an element along each of a second plurality of creases to configure the element to accept a support.

A fifth aspect of the invention provides an enclosure created from a foldable main member, the enclosure comprising: a plurality of sides; and a plurality of elements configured to accept a support, wherein each element is folded beside one of the plurality of sides and is adjacent to a corner of the enclosure.

The illustrative aspects of the present invention are designed to solve the problems herein described and other problems not discussed, which are discoverable by a skilled artisan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of this invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a detailed view of an illustrative foldable box member;

FIG. 2 shows a portion of the foldable box member shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of an illustrative portion of a box holding a support; and

FIG. 4 shows a top view of an illustrative box including a plurality of supports.

It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not to scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of the invention, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements between the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As indicated above, the invention provides a foldable box member that includes means for holding one or more supports without requiring the use of clamps, glue, tape, and the like. In particular, the foldable box member can comprise one or more elements, each of which can be configured to accept a support. In one embodiment, a portion of one or more top flaps for a box is used to form each element adjacent to a top corner of the box. Further, one or more bottom flaps of the box can be configured to accept an end of the support below an element to further assist in preventing the support from slipping. As a result, the invention provides an improved enclosure configuration for holding one or more supports.

Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an illustrative foldable box member 10 according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown, foldable box member 10 can include a main member 12 that comprises a plurality of creases 14A-C that define a plurality of sides 16A-D. In general, main member 12 is folded along each crease 14A-C to create an enclosure. In this embodiment, the resulting enclosure will comprise four sides. However, it is understood that foldable box member 10 could be used to create an enclosure having any number of sides (e.g., three, five, six, etc.).

In any event, when main member 12 is folded along creases 14A-C, sides 16A and 16D will create adjacent sides of the resulting enclosure. Since sides 16A, 16D are not contiguous along main member 12 (e.g., they are on opposing ends of main member 12), sides 16A and 16D can be affixed. In one embodiment, main member 12 can include a glue lap crease 18 that defines a glue lap 20. Main member 12 can be folded along glue lap crease 18, and glue lap 20 can be attached to side 16D. Glue lap 20 can be permanently or temporarily attached to side 16D using any now known or later developed solution such as glue, tape, etc.

Foldable box member 10 can further include one or more elements to form a top and/or bottom of the enclosure to form a box. For example, foldable box member 10 is shown including first (e.g., bottom) flaps 22A-D and second (e.g., top) flaps 24A-D that are each attached to opposing positions of main member 12 adjacent to a corresponding side 16A-D. In one embodiment, bottom flaps 22A-D and top flaps 24A-D are defined by sets of creases 26A-D and 28A-D in foldable box member 10, respectively. In this case, foldable box member 10 can be folded along sets of creases 26A-D, 28A-D such that bottom flaps 22A-D cover a bottom opening of the box, and top flaps 24A-D cover a top opening of the box in a known fashion.

While foldable box member 10 is described herein as having a “top” and a “bottom” it is understood that the enclosure made using foldable box member 10 can be used in any orientation without departing from the teachings of the invention. Further, it is understood that any number of bottom flaps 22A-D and/or top flaps 24A-D can be used to cover the bottom and/or top openings of the box respectively. For example, foldable box member 10 could include one bottom flap 22A that has sufficient size to cover the bottom opening. Further, it is understood that bottom flaps 22A-D and top flaps 24A-D are not required. In this case, foldable box member 10 can be used to create an enclosure and one or more separate covers can be provided apart from foldable box member 10 to cover the bottom and/or top openings.

As discussed above, foldable box member 10 includes means for holding a set (one or more) of supports. To this extent, foldable box member 10 is shown including a plurality of elements 30A-D each of which can be configured to accept a support. In one embodiment, elements 30A-D comprise portions of top flaps 24B, 24D that are defined by scores that assist in detaching elements 30A-D from the corresponding top flaps 24B, 24D. Additional aspects of elements 30A-D are discussed further with reference to FIG. 2, which shows an illustrative portion of foldable box member 10. In particular, FIG. 2 comprises the portion of foldable box member 10 that corresponds to top flap 24B, element 30A, side 16B, and bottom flap 22B.

Element 30A is shown detached from top flap 24B and attached to main member 12 along crease 28B. Further, element 30A is shown attached to main member 12 in a location that is adjacent to crease 14A. As a result, element 30A will be located adjacent to an upper corner of the box created using foldable box member 10. It is understood that this arrangement is only illustrative. For example, as with element 30D (FIG. 1), element 30A can be located adjacent to an end of foldable box member 10 to be located adjacent to a corner of the box. Further, element 30A can be attached to foldable box member 10 in any desired location and/or orientation. To this extent, element 30A could be attached to top flap 24B, bottom flap 22B, etc., and could be centrally located on side 16B, within a central portion of top flap 24B, etc.

In any event, element 30A is shown including a plurality of creases 32A-C that define a plurality of segments 34A-D. In particular, element 30A can be folded along each crease 32A-C to create separate segments 34A-D of element 30A. Segments 34B, 34D are shown configured to accept a support. In particular, segments 34B, 34D are each contoured to form slots 36A, 36B, respectively. In operation, the support can be inserted through each slot 36A-B and segments 34A-D will hold the support in place.

Using element 30A, foldable box member 10 provides means to hold a support adjacent to a top corner of a box. As noted previously, the support is generally located adjacent to a corner of the box and extends from the top of the box to the bottom of the box. To this extent, foldable box member 10 can include means for accepting an end of the support adjacent to the bottom corner of the box. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, bottom flap 22B includes a slot 38. Slot 38 is shown disposed along a side edge of bottom flap 22B that extends beyond crease 14A and adjacent to crease 26B. In this manner, slot 38 will be located adjacent to the bottom corner of the resulting box. When the support is inserted into the box, its bottom can be inserted into slot 38 to provide additional stability to the support and help prevent its bottom from sliding and/or kicking out. As with element 30A, slot 38 or the like can be positioned in any location necessary to receive the support.

It is understood that foldable box member 10 can be provided having pre-configured elements 30A-D (FIG. 1) and/or slots 36A-B, 38. Alternatively, as with elements 30A-D, slots 36A-B, 38 can be defined by scores that assist in removing a portion of top flaps 24A-D and/or bottom flaps 22A-D to create the corresponding slots 36A-B, 38. In this manner, foldable box member 10 can be used as any other box having rectangular bottom flaps 22A-D (FIG. 1) and top flaps 24A-D (FIG. 1) or configured to hold one or more supports as described herein. Further, while the use of curved slots 36A-B, 38 is shown, it is understood that slots 36A-B, 38 and/or apertures of any shape and size can be used to hold the support.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of an illustrative portion of a box 40 holding a support 42. In particular, box 40 can be made using foldable box member 10 (FIG. 1), including the illustrative portion shown in FIG. 2. Box 40 (and therefore foldable box member 10) can comprise any type of cardboard or the like. For example, box 40 can comprise a double wall outer portion and a triple wall inner portion that are combined to create cardboard having a thickness of five flutes. Further, support 42 can have any desired shape and comprise any type of material. For example, support 42 can comprise a spiral wound tube of cardboard having walls that comprise a thickness of approximately a quarter inch. When assembled, box 40 can comprise any desired dimensions of height, length, and width. In any event, support 42 will have a height that is based on the height of box 40.

In order to create box 40 using foldable box member 10 (FIG. 1), main member 12 (FIG. 1) is folded along creases 14A-C, 26A-D, and 28A-D (FIG. 1). As a result, side 16B is created with a bottom flap 22B and top flap 24B attached thereto. Further, bottom flap 22A will be located below bottom flap 22B and top flap 24A will be located above top flap 24B as is known. In this manner, the top and bottom openings of box 40 can be completely covered.

To configure element 30A to hold support 42, element 30A can be folded along creases 32A-C (FIG. 2) to create segments 34A-D. Segments 34A-D can be arranged so that segment 34B is located below segment 34D and both can accept support 42. Additionally, segment 34A can be arranged to be disposed between segments 34B, 34D and adjacent to side 16B. As shown, segment 34D can come out at a downward angle from top flap 24B. As a result, support 42 can be inserted through slots 36A-B (FIG. 2), and into slot 38 (FIG. 2) so that it is held in place as shown. In this configuration, segments 34A, 34C limit the movement of element 30A and as a result, the movement of support 42. It is understood that element 30A is only illustrative of various possible configurations. To this extent, element 30A can comprise any combination of one or more segments configured to accept support 42 and/or one or more segments configured to locate and/or limit the movement of other segments. As a result, numerous variations of element 30A are possible as will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art.

As previously discussed, box 40 will typically have a plurality of supports 42 located proximate each corner of box 40. For example, FIG. 4 shows a top view of box 40 that is made using foldable box member 10 shown in FIG. 1. As shown, box 40 includes supports 42A-D that provide additional support to box 40 and are located proximate each corner created by junctions of sides 16A-D. To hold each support 42A-D in place, elements 30A-D are configured to accept a corresponding support 42A-D and limit the movement of supports 42A-D as discussed above. In this configuration, supports 42A-D have a minimal impact on the space for storing cargo in box 40, while providing additional support to box 40 in desired locations. However, it is understood that supports 42A-D can be located anywhere on box 40 as discussed above.

Another aspect of the invention comprises a method of creating an enclosure. In particular, referring to FIG. 1, main member 12 can be folded along each crease 14A-C to create a plurality of sides 16A-D. The two end sides 16A, 16D can be affixed by, for example, folding main member 12 along glue lap crease 18 to create glue lap 20 and attaching glue lap 20 to side 16D. Bottom and/or top openings of the enclosure can be covered by folding main member 12 along creases 26A-D and/or 28A-D, respectively. To hold supports 42A-D (FIG. 4), each element 30A-D can be folded along creases 32A-C (FIG. 2) as discussed above so that slots 36A-B (FIG. 2) are properly aligned to accept one of supports 42A-D. Each support 42A-D can be inserted into elements 30A-D and/or inserted into one or more slots 38 (FIG. 2) on bottom flaps 22B, 22D.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. Such modifications and variations that are apparent to a person skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the accompanying claims. For example, while supports 42A-D (FIG. 4) can be configured to provide vertical support, it is understood that supports 42A-D could also be used to provide horizontal stability. To this extent, supports 42A-D can be used in any orientation without departing from the teachings of the invention. 

1. A foldable box member comprising: a main member comprising a plurality of creases that define a plurality of sides; and a first element attached to the main member, wherein the first element is configured to accept a support.
 2. The foldable box member of claim 1, further comprising a flap attached to the main member adjacent to one of the plurality of sides.
 3. The foldable box member of claim 2, wherein the flap is attached to the main member at an opposing position from the first element.
 4. The foldable box member of claim 3, wherein the flap is configured to accept an end of the support.
 5. The foldable box member of claim 1, wherein the first element comprises a plurality of creases that define a plurality of segments.
 6. The foldable box member of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of segments is configured to accept the support.
 7. The foldable box member of claim 5, wherein at least two of the plurality of segments are contoured to accept the support.
 8. The foldable box member of claim 1, wherein the first element is adjacent to at least one of one of the plurality of creases and an end of the main member.
 9. The foldable box member of claim 1, further comprising a second element attached to the main member, wherein the second element is configured to hold a second support.
 10. The foldable box member of claim 1, wherein the main member further comprises a glue lap crease that defines a glue lap.
 11. A foldable box member comprising: a main member comprising a plurality of creases that define a plurality of sides; a first flap attached to the main member adjacent to one of the plurality of sides; a pair of elements attached to the main member adjacent to the first flap, wherein each element is configured to accept a support; and a second flap attached to the main member at an opposing position from the first flap and adjacent to the one of the plurality of sides.
 12. The foldable box member of claim 11, wherein the second flap is configured to accept each support.
 13. The foldable box member of claim 11, further comprising: a third flap attached to the main member adjacent to another one of the plurality of sides; and a second pair of elements attached to the main member adjacent to the third flap, wherein each of the second pair of elements can be configured to accept a support.
 14. The foldable box member of claim 13, further comprising a fourth flap attached to the main member at an opposing position from the third flap and adjacent to the another one of the plurality of sides.
 15. The foldable box member of claim 14, wherein the second flap and fourth flap are each configured to accept at least one support.
 16. The foldable box member of claim 11, wherein each of the pair of elements is adjacent to at least one of one of the plurality of creases and an end of the main member.
 17. The foldable box member of claim 11, wherein each of the pair of elements comprises a plurality of creases that define a plurality of segments.
 18. The foldable box member of claim 17, wherein at least two of the plurality of segments are configured to accept the support.
 19. A foldable box member comprising: a main member comprising a first plurality of creases that define a plurality of sides; a second plurality of creases that define, for each of the plurality of sides: a first flap adjacent to the side; and a second flap adjacent to an opposing position of the side; and at least one crease that defines at least one element configured to accept a support.
 20. The foldable box member of claim 19, wherein the at least one element is adjacent to at least one flap.
 21. The foldable box member of claim 19, wherein at least one flap located at an opposing position of the at least one element is configured to accept the support.
 22. The foldable box member of claim 19, wherein the element comprises a plurality of creases that define a plurality of segments.
 23. The foldable box member of claim 22, wherein at least two of the plurality of segments are configured to accept the support.
 24. A method of creating an enclosure, the method comprising: folding a main member along each of a first plurality of creases to create a plurality of sides for the enclosure; affixing a first side on a first end of the main member to a second side on an opposing second end of the main member; and folding an element along each of a second plurality of creases to configure the element to accept a support.
 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising covering an opening of the enclosure.
 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the covering step includes folding the main member along each of a third plurality of creases to create a flap for each of the plurality of sides.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one flap is configured to accept an end of the support.
 28. The method of claim 24, further comprising inserting the support into the element.
 29. The method of claim 24, wherein the affixing step includes: folding the main member along a glue lap crease to create a glue lap; and attaching the glue lap to one of the plurality of sides.
 30. An enclosure created from a foldable main member, the enclosure comprising: a plurality of sides; and a plurality of elements configured to accept a support, wherein each element is folded beside one of the plurality of sides and is adjacent to a corner of the enclosure.
 31. The enclosure of claim 30, further comprising means for covering an opening of the enclosure.
 32. The enclosure of claim 31, wherein the means for covering includes a flap for each of the plurality of sides. 